Wedding Invitation Ideas: An Introduction to Incredible Invites

In my opinion wedding invites are an important part of your wedding plans; they set the tone of the wedding far in advance.
If you are having a themed wedding your invitation may give a subtle hint which you carry forward through the rest of your planning for example, the art deco style of your invitations may create thoughts of a Great Gatsby style affair. If you are thinking of having a fun, outdoor festival style event then the use of textures such as burlap and twine may be incorporated into your invites.
One of the main decisions a bride and groom must make is whether to buy their stationary custom made, ready made from a highstreet store or to make their own wedding stationary. There are pro and cons for all these options...

Custom made stationary can be visually stunning with creative bespoke designs that will leave your guests full of excitement for the approaching big day however they can be a more expensive option with full sets of stationary easily running into the hundreds - even thousands of pounds. Startionary bought on the highstreet from department stores are another option that are a cheaper alternative but there may be some compromise on quality depending on the retailer. DIY invitations can save the bride and groom a fortune - and if done well can result in high quality personalised stationary at a fraction of the price. The main con is that this can be very time consuming for busy brides and for those who are not that creatively inclined this may not seem the most appealing option.

There are many retailers on-line who provide custom made stationary. I would always recommend sending away for samples of invites - colours can appear different in print, card textures can differ in quality and embellishments may look less impressive in person. I would also suggest shopping around once you have decided on the format that you like and your colour scheme to hit on something that encompasses your personal style and fits in with your budget. Below are a few examples from a few of my favourite wedding stationary creators - that range from very affordable to more expensive designs.

I really love the designs by Ink and Curls. The card they use feels luxurious and the quality of the printing is spectacular. I ordered a Mad Hatter sample and when it arrived it was wrapped up in lovely tissue paper with one of their chic stickers. I think the Gatsby invites below are beautiful and would fit well with any wedding striving to achieve the art deco look. This range of invites starts at £1.40(Images taken from Ink and Curls)

Bluebird Stationary is ran by the very talented April Mason. The designs featured on her site vary from traditional ribbon and lace card invites to magical themed fun stationary with beautiful graphics and colour palettes.
The Boho Floral Pocketfold Invitation Range starts at £2.75-£3.25 - One of my favourites! (Images taken from Bluebird stationary)

Fine and Dandy provide beautiful quality stationary and if their website and the quality of their samples is anything to suggest, they provide a very professional service. I really love their Cameo style invites - I think these would be a great contribution to a Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice themed wedding! The more invites you order - the cheaper the invites become, prices start at £3.55 for up to 25 four-panel concertina cards. (Images taken from Fine and Dandy)

Tickled Pink create cute designs that have a real vintage feel. The company is ran by husband and wife team, Tom and Nikki, from Leiceser. This quirky circus design would be great for a fair style wedding and comes in a range of colour ranges to suit your day.(Images taken from Tickled Pink)

Some shops for example card shops, department stores and stationary stores sell wedding invitations. If you aren't looking to spend a substantial chunk of your budget on stationary then this could be a good option for you. Some of the designs available nowadays are stunning and give the custom stationary providers a good run for their money. Another options is to check out eBay - here you may be able to buy packs of invites at bargain prices and may also be able to pick up some personalised invites super cheap. A few of my favourite designs of the moment can be seen below.
These beautiful Rose Wedding Invitations are available from Paperchase, they retail at £12 for a box of 10. (Images taken from Paperchase)

The vintage style invites printed on to Kraft style card would be perfect for a summer outdoor fete style wedding. They are from Party Delights in association with Tesco Direct and retail for £3.99 for a pack of 10.

These "Pink Roses" invites on sale on eBay store "Tinkernco" are gorgeous - and each invite is priced at only 70 pence! With these low prices - it would be very tempting to purchase additional wedding stationary from the same range such as save the dates, RSVP cards etc. (Images taken from Tinknco)

If the DIY options sounds attractive to you and you are happy to give up a good few hours cutting, sticking and printing then I suggest you go for it - even if this is just for some of your wedding stationary. You may well fall in love with some beautiful designer wedding stationary that you have to have for your day invites but the idea of spending the same amount of R.S.V.P cards, save the dates, menus and much more may seem terrifying! You can always mix and match your own stationary with custom as long as the theme works well together to save yourself a few pennies. Etsy is a great place to look for invitation designs - you can simply buy the PDF file, personalised by the seller with your own details and colour theme, and print the result on good quality card. If you have a bit of Publisher knowledge it easy to make your own designs using clip art and different fonts which can look great too. Here are a couple of examples of wedding invitations I have made myself below...